And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
Little children, х teknia (G5040)] - 'little sons,' as 1 John 2:12: believers of every stage.
Abide in him - Christ. John, as a loving father, repeats his monition.
When, х ean (G1437)] - 'if.' The uncertainty is not as to the fact, but the time.
Appear - `be manifested.'
We - both writer and readers.
Ashamed before him, х apo (G575)] - 'from Him,' shrink from Him ashamed. Contrast "boldness in the day of judgment," 1 John 4:17: cf. 1 John 3:21; 1 John 5:14. In the Apocalypse (written subsequently) Christ's coming appears at a greater distance.